Relationship between Motivation Level and Mathematics Achievement Level for Form Four Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/jpsmm.vol15.1.7.2025Keywords:
Student motivation, achievement, Pearson correlation, descriptive statistics, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivationAbstract
This study aims to identify the types of motivation, specifically intrinsic and extrinsic among Form Four students in Mathematics. It also examines the relationship between these motivation levels and their achievement, particularly in the mid-year examinations. A descriptive correlational research design was used. The study focused on two main variables, i.e., students’ motivation levels and their academic achievement in Mathematics. Using a cluster sampling method, the study targeted 150 Form Four students from a secondary school in the Tanjong Malim district, Perak. From this group, a sample of 30 students was selected, i.e., from one classroom. Data were collected using questionnaires and mid-year examination results. The data were then analyzed using the Likert Scale, descriptive statistics, and Pearson Correlation in SPSS version 29. The results showed that students had a moderate level of intrinsic motivation, with a mean score of 2.80. Whereas, their extrinsic motivation level was higher, with a mean score of 3.14. Overall, both motivation levels were categorized as high. The correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between overall motivation and achievement (r = 0.503). This indicates that students with higher motivation tend to achieve better results in the subject. The correlation analysis gave a deeper understanding. Intrinsic motivation showed a strong and significant positive relationship with achievement (r = 0.569, p = 0.001). In contrast, extrinsic motivation showed only a weak and non-significant relationship with achievement (r = 0.281, p > 0.05). This suggests that depending on external rewards alone may not lead to higher performance.
References
Abín, A., Núñez, J. C., Rodríguez, C., Cueli, M., García, T., & Rosário, P. (2020). Predicting mathematics achievement in secondary education: The role of cognitive, motivational, and emotional variables. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 876. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00876
Baker, T. L. (1994). Doing social research (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Bond, T. G., & Fox, C. M. (2015). Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Cahyaningsih, U., Nahdi, D.S., Jatisunda, M.G., & Suciawati, V. (2021). Student’s Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability with Mathematical Resilience And Metacognition Skills: A Quantitative Analysis. Aksioma: Jurnal Program Studi Pendidikan Matematika.
Davies, J. A. (1971). Elementary survey analysis. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Fiorella, L., Yoon, S. Y., Atit, K., Power, J. R., Panther, G., Sorby M.S., Uttal, D. H., & Veurink, N. (2021). Validation of the Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (MMQ) for secondary school students. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(52). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-021-00307-x
Guildford, J. P., & Fruchter, B. (1973). Fundamental statistics in physiology and education (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hamidah, A. S., & Safarini, D. T. L. S. (2020). The relationship between students' learning interest and students' problem-solving skill of eighth-grade students in learning mathematics. Research Journal of School Mathematics Learning, 4(2), 70-80.
Isoda, M. (2015). The science of lesson study in the problem-solving approach. In M. Inprasitha, M. Isoda, P. Wang-Iverson, & B.-H. Yeap (Eds.), Lesson study: Challenges in mathematics education (Vol. 3, pp. 81–108). World Scientific. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789812835420_0006
Jeno, L. M., Danielsen, A. G., & Raaheim, A. (2018). A prospective investigation of students’ academic achievement and dropout in higher education: A Self-Determination Theory approach. Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1502412
Kiwanuka, H. N., Van Damme, J., Van den Noortgate, W., & Reynolds, C. (2022). The temporary relationship between attitude toward mathematics and mathematics achievement. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 53(6), 1546-1570.
Kuppusamy, S., & Musa, M. (2021). Investigating International School Secondary students’Attitude towards Mathematics. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Dan Matematik Malaysia, 11(2), 122-130. https://doi.org/10.37134/jpsmm.vol11.2.10.2021
Maamin, M., Maat, S. M., & Iksan, Z. H. (2022). The influence of student engagement on mathematical achievement among secondary school students. Mathematics, 10(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/math10010041
Malhotra, N.K. (2008). Essentials of marketing: An applied orientation (2nd ed.). Australia:
Martínez-Ariza, L., Cudris-Torres, L., Echeverría-King, L. F., & Niño-Vega, J. A. (2022). Influence of motivation on academic performance: An analysis of motivational assessment in mathematics learning. Journal of Research Development and Innovation, 12(1), 57-66.
Olivares, D., Lupiáñez, J. L., & Segovia, I. (2021). Roles and characteristics of problem solving in the mathematics curriculum: A review. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 52(7), 1079-1096.
Pohan, A. M., Asmin, A., & Menanti, A. (2020). The effect of problem-based learning and learning motivation on mathematical problem-solving skills of class 5 students at SDN 0407 Mondang. Budapest International Research and Critics in Linguistics and Education (BirLE) Journal, 3(1), 531-539. https://doi.org/10.33258/birle.v3i1.850
Polit, D. F., Beck, C. T., & Owen, S. V. (2007). Focus on research methods: Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 30(4), 459–467. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20199
Schoenfeld, A., & Kilpatrick, J. (2008). Toward a theory of proficiency in teaching mathematics. In D. Tirosh & T. Wood (Eds.), The Handbook of Mathematics Teacher Education: Volume 2 (pp. 321–354). Brill Sense. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789087905460_016
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. http://103.227.140.9/handle/123456789/18302
Shaari, A. S., Yusof, A. A., Khan, M. J., Tang, S. M., & Lim, K. T. (2008). Fairness of achievement assessment among teachers and its relationship with work motivation and school academic achievement. International Journal of Management Studies (IJMS), 15(9), 159-176.
Shamsuddin, H., Shamsuddin, J., Rabas, A. H., Abd Talib, N. N. S., Ismail, N. S., & Khairani, A. Z. (2021). The Effect of Gender and Ethnicity on Selected Topics in Mathematics among Secondary School Students. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Dan Matematik Malaysia, 11(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.37134/jpsmm.vol11.2.1.2021
Suharti, S., Muslim, A., & Sriyanto, S. (2020). The relationship between learning motivation and mathematics learning achievement of grade V students of SD Negeri Assisted Region 1 Sumbang Banyumas. Madrasah: Journal of Basic Education and Learning. http://ejournal.uin-malang.ac.id/index.php/madrasah/article/view/9662
Toh, T. L., Chan, C. M. E., Tay, E. G., Leong, Y. H., Quek, K. S., Toh, P. C., Ho, W. K., Dindyal, J., Ho, F. H., & Dong, F. (2019). Problem solving in the Singapore school mathematics curriculum. In T. Toh, B. Kaur, & G. Tay (Eds.), Mathematics education in Singapore (pp. 141–164). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3573-0_7
Tran, L. T., & Nguyen, T. S. (2021). Motivation and mathematics achievement: A Vietnamese case study. Journal on Mathematics Education, 12(3), 449-468. http://doi.org/10.22342/jme.12.3.14274.449-468
Weidinger, A. F., Spinath, B., & Steinmayr, R. (2020). The value of valuing math: Longitudinal links between students' intrinsic, attainment, and utility values and grades in math. Motivation Science, 6(4), 413–422.
Weiner, B. (1986). An attributional theory of motivation and emotion. London: Springer-Verlag.
Yu, R., & Singh, K. (2018). Teacher support, instructional practices, student motivation, and mathematics achievement in high school. The Journal of Educational Research, 111(1), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2016.1204260
Zebua, A., Hendriana, H., Subandar, J., & Sugandi, A. I. (2022). The relationship between learning motivation with mathematical problem-solving ability in class XI students. MaPan: Jurnal Matematika dan Pembelajaran, 10(2), 312-322.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Amin Sabri, Nurul Akmal Mohamed, Nurul Huda Mohamed, Nurul Farihan Mohamed
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
